Fighting Air Pollution with Direct Action

An interview with Roger Hallam, PhD researcher at Kings College London, who has been studying protest movements and putting his theories into practice.

Non-violent direct action, as used in the past by large successful social movements like the Suffragettes, Civil Rights Movement, and Trade Unionists, challenges politicians and the public to confront change and improve society.

After successful small-scale campaigns around fossil-free divestment and student rent strikes, Roger has turned to air pollution, and the ‘Stop Killing Londoners – Cut Air Pollution’ movement is fast gaining traction and media interest as bolder and bolder direct actions challenge Sadiq Khan and the Government to do more to combat the problem.

Prison, hunger strikes, roadblocks and civil disobedience are all part of the plan to force urgent action as more than 10,000 Londoners are thought to die each year due to the effects of our toxic city air.

In this exclusive interview Roger describes some of the tactics and what he is hoping to achieve.